Winding-indicator for timepieces.



No. 876,721. PATENTBD M1114, 1908.

' A. G. KOUNTZ.

WINDING INDICATOR FOR TIMBPIECES. APPLICATION FILED 1101/114, 1905.

@00am/femm' ALBERT G. KOUNTZ, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

WINDING-INDICATOR FOR TIME PIECES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1908.

Application nieu November 111. 1905. Serial No. 287.295.

T 0 all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT G. KOUNTZ, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Mount Oliver Station, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, inthe county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Winding Indicators for Timepieces, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in windingindicators for time pieces, and the invention has for its object theprovision of novel means to be actuated by a clock, to determine whenthe main spring of the clock has become exhausted or the clock has rundown.

Briefly described, my invention consists in providing the winding arboror main spring shaft with a disk having a lug, said lug being adapted tomesh with a gear wheel which imparts a rotary motion to another gearwheel carrying a hand, the hand being exposed 'upon the dial of theclock, and when said hand has reached a certain position indicated uponthe dial, this position denotes that the clock has run down.

The detail construction of my invention will be hereinafter more fullydescribed and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and referringto the drawing accompanying this application, like numerals of referencedesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in whichFigure 1 is a front elevation of a clock constructed in accordance withmy invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view, a portion of the clock beingbroken away illustrating the mechanism thereof in said elevation, andFig. 3 is a plan of a portion of my improved mechanism.

To put my invention into practice, I einploy a conventional form ofclock 1 having a main spring 2, the one end of which is attached to awinding arbor 3. The main spring and the winding arbor are carried by askeleton frame 4 mounted within the body of the clock and to this frame,I secure two coinciding plates 5, 5, which are spaced apart andsubstantially oval in plan and said plates are secured together and tothe frame 4 by screws or rivets 6. The plates are provided with alim'ngslots 7, 7 and in said slots is mounted an adjustable shaft 8 upon whichis journaled between said plates, a gear wheel 9. The end of the windingarbor 3 is provided with a disk 10 carrying a radially disposed lug 11,and the plates 5, 5 are cut away as at .12 to permit of the disk 10lying in close proximity to the gear wheel 9, whereby as the disk 1()revolves the lug 11 will niesh with the teeth of said gear wheel.

The dial 14 of the clock is provided with an annular opening 15 whichexposes the face of the front plate 5. Between the plates 5, 5 isjournaled a shaft 16 upon which is mounted a gear wheel 17 adapted tomesh with the gear wheel 9 of the shaft 8. The shaft 16 of the gearwheel 17 protrudes through the front plate 5 and is provided with a hand18. The front plate 5 is marked as at 19, said mark representing adistinct radially disposed line.

The rotation of the winding arbor 3 of the main spring while the clockis running carries with it the disk 10 and as said disk revolves, thelug 11 thereof will engage the gear wheel 9 and through the medium ofthe pinion, impart a rotary movement to the gear wheel 17. The rotationof the gear wheel17 carries with it the hand 1S and one rotation of thishand is adapted to represent the energy of the main spring 2 of theclock. lVhen the hand 1S reaches the mark 19, it denotes that the energyof the main spring has been exhausted and the clock has run down.

In order to prevent the clock from stopping when the main spring hasbecome exhausted, I arrange the gear wheels 9 and 17 whereby the hand 18will reach the mark 19 slightly prior to the exhaustion of the spring 2thereby giving suflicient notice that the clock needs rewinding and thatin a short period of time the clock will stop.

The slots 7, 7 of the plates 5, 5 are provided in case it is desired tomount a larger gear wheel between the plates 5, 5 or adjust the gearwheels between said plates, it being necessary that the device be madeadjustable in order to be used in connection with different sizes ofclocks. For instance, if it should be found after attaching the plates5, 5 and the gear wheel 9 and 17 to the clock that the clock spring runsdown sooner than was expected it would be necessary to take out the gearwheel 9 and replace it by a larger gear wheel and in that event, as itwould be necessary to move the shaft of the gear wheel 9 further awayfrom the shaft of the gear wheel 17, the slot would provide for suchmovev ment and obviate the necessity of boring holes for the receptionof the shaft of the new gear wheel.

l preferably construct my improved device of sheet metal, as brass,which is stamped out to form the gear wheels 9 and 17, also the disk l()and the plates 5, 5, and itwill be observed that whenso constructed thatmy device will be extremely simple in construction, strong and durable.and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

In the clock shown in the drawing which is the type I propose to employ,the winding arbor turns in one direction while the clock is running, andwhile turning in this direction the disk 10 imparts movement to the gearwheels 9 and 17 and turns the hand 18 in the same direction as the handsproper of the clock. Vhen, however, the clock is being wound up, thearbor is turned in a direction opposite to that which it turns while theclock is Vrunning and when so turned the disk 10 imparts movementthrough the gear wheels 9 and 17 to the hand 18 in a direction reverseto that imparted to said hand when the clock is running. Thus thewinding of the arbor in the ordinary manner restores the hand 18 to itsZero position when the clock is wound up.

Such changes in the form7 proportion and minor details of construction,as are permissible by the appended claims, may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination with a clock including a casing, a frame for the clockmechanism,

` said mechanism including a winding arbor',

an extended second-hand arbor, and a dial having apertures opposite thewinding arbor and the extended second-hand arbor, of two plates s acedapart and connected to the frame o the clock mechanism and provided withalined slots, a shaft vadjustably supported in said slots, a gearcarried by said secondhand arbor, a gear carried by said shaft andengaging the irst mentioned gear, and a disk carried by said windingarbor and provided with a radial stud adapted to intermittently engagethe teeth of the gear adjacent thereto.

ln testimony whereof l alix my signature -in the presence of twowitnesses.

ALBERT G. KOUNTZ. Vitnesses.

C. KLosTERMANN, FRANK E. WILLER.

